Spend, spend, spend

Charlotte Church is about to get her hands on the £16million fortune she earned as a child.

She has been gleefully telling friends of her intention to 'spend, spend, spend'.

She added: 'There's no point leaving millions. I want to spend a lot of it while I'm still alive.'

Under the terms of the trust set up in her name, it was intended that she would have to wait for the money until she was 21.

Her parents feared the consequences of her becoming one of Britain's richest - and most eligible - women while still a teenager.

But it has now been agreed that she can have her fortune when she turns 18 on February 21.

Charlotte is said to have spent several months taking the necessary legal steps to dismantle the trust, which was set up by her parents when she was 11.

The first items on her shopping list are a new flat in Cardiff - she would like something more private than the place she shared with ex-boyfriend Steve Johnson - and a holiday home on St Lucia where she can take family and friends.

Charlotte will also buy a new car and has plans to hit the shops of London for a major spree with her close friends from school.

She is said to prefer Oasis, Kookai and Karen Millen to the more expensive designs of Prada and Gucci.

The teenager is also planning to treat her mother, probably with an item of diamond jewellery.

The rest of the money will serve to cushion her entry into semi-retirement - taking extended holidays with friends to destinations such as the Far East.

Charlotte's new, moneyed life will not, though, mark the start of an era of complete-independence. Despite sacking her mother as her manager in 2002, the two have never been closer. They speak daily on the telephone and Charlotte calls in to visit her at least three times a week.

They also meet every Sunday for lunch at Charlotte's grandmother's house.

Despite the very public spats between Charlotte and her mother, Maria, and a period when they were barely speaking, they have long since forgiven each other. Mrs Church even has a key to her daughter's £450,000 flat.

The end of the singer's relationship with Mr Johnson, the part-time model and disc jockey whom Mrs Church so disliked, is said to have brought Charlotte and her mother closer than ever.

When the couple split in December after a row about Mr Johnson kissing a woman in a nightclub, Charlotte stayed with her mother for several weeks.

Professionally, Charlotte's future is unclear. She is working on and off on an album, although she and her advisers are unsure which direction her music should take. She may do duets with pop singers rather than sticking to classical music.

Her foray into acting was not a success, with audiences staying away from the low-budget drama I'll Be There.

After her appearance as a guest presenter of Have I Got News For You, she hopes to do more TV work.